


Hair Raising

by centreoftheselights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Gen, Hair Dyeing, Magical Inventions, Muggle Technology, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 04:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15964823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centreoftheselights/pseuds/centreoftheselights
Summary: Ginny and Luna discover hair dye.





	Hair Raising

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr prompt from [ashby-santoso](http://ashby-santoso.tumblr.com): Ginny and Luna and unusual haircuts / hair dyeing / etc. Bonus points if Harry comes to either/both of them for hair advice too.

“I think I'd like to go to the florist to pick up some -”

Luna broke off suddenly as Ginny's hand tightened on her arm. She let herself be wheeled around in a circle until they were walking the opposite way down the cobbled high street.

“Why are we going this way?” Luna asked. “Did you see something dangerous?”

“No,” Ginny said, a little breathless. “Look.”

Ginny nodded her head at someone walking along the other side of the street, a little ahead of them.

“Ooh, yes, she's pretty,” Luna said appreciatively. “And brave too, to have so many piercings…”

“Look at her hair.” Ginny's voice sounded almost pained.

Luna looked. It was, indeed, impressive hair. Long, spiked tuffs stuck up from the woman's head, each one brightly coloured – green at the front, then blue, with purple at the nape of her neck.

“How?” Ginny asked urgently. “I mean – it's got to be a Colour Change Charm, right? But it would be difficult to keep it so steady, and even if you could – this place is full of Muggles, and no-one's noticed!”

“I think they've noticed,” Luna said, watching other passers-by shooting their own looks at the woman, both appreciative and decidedly not. “But they don't seem to think it's magic. The Muggles must have some gag-it that can change their hair colour.”

“Gadget,” Ginny corrected absently, still staring after the woman.

Then, all of a sudden, she turned to Luna with her eyes wide.

“I need to know more.”

 

“Hermione. Can Muggles turn their hair blue?”

Hermione looked up from her desk, one eyebrow raised.

“Good evening Ginny,” she said. “Yes, I'm fine; how are _you_ doing? _”_

Ginny smiled apologetically.

“Good evening, Hermione,” she recited. “I'm doing well. _Can_ Muggles turn their hair blue?”

Hermione blinked at her.

“Yes, they can… Why?”

“ _How_?”

Hermione ran a hand through her hair, and motioned for Ginny to sit down.

“It's called Chemistry. It's a little like Potions – you know how some Potions have almost no magic in them? A potion to cure stomach ache is just mint and yarrow and liquorice root, mixed in the right quantities.”

“Yes, but that's first year stuff.” Ginny folded her arms. “And it won't change your hair colour.”

“No, but the point is that even a Muggle could do it, _and they did_. But they couldn't advance to more magical ingredients like we did, so instead they discovered different kinds of non-magic potion, which are called chemicals. Only you don't always drink them – the one you're talking about, you put on the hair you want to change, and it dyes it a different colour. Just like dying cloth.”

Ginny nodded seriously, and Hermione frowned.

“Why do you care anyway? Couldn't you just use a Charm to change your hair?”

Ginny bit her lip.

Hermione smiled. “Come on. Tell me.”

“I want my hair to be more than one colour at once,” Ginny said. “I know you _can_ do that by magic, but Flitwick always said that my Charms 'lacked finesse'…”

“...and you don't want to turn your whole head blue?” Hermione nodded. “Well, there's nothing wrong with learning about the Muggle way. You can buy hair dye in a chemist's – the shop will probably be called Boots – but you have to follow the instructions on the box. Chemicals can be as dangerous as Potions if you misuse them.”

Ginny grinned. “Thanks Hermione. Oh, and -”

“I won't tell your brother or Harry about this,” Hermione promised with a smile. “Actually, before you go…”

She grabbed a scrap of paper from her desk and began scribbling names on it.

“Go to a Muggle music shop while you're at it. There are some bands you ought to listen to…”

 

When Harry arrived at the Anglesey Quidditch stadium, it took him a few minutes to locate Luna. Normally, her presence was announced immediately by the Harpies Hat she wore to nearly every game – but when Harry found her, the hat was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Luna's hair – normally left loose around her shoulders – had been combed into a huge, fluffy mane which stuck up about half a foot above her head. The words 'Go Harpies' were dyed into the back of her hair in alternating green and gold letters, while a several figures in green robes circled her head on broomstick. As Harry peered at them, a red-headed figure stopped to wave.

“Hello, Harry.”

“Luna, this is incredible!”

Luna smiled at him. “I've been experimenting with different combinations of dye and potion. I wanted to add sound as well but there wasn't time before this game.”

“I've never seen anything like it.”

“Oh, it's nothing much,” Luna said airily. “You should see what Ginny's been working on.”

They took their seats in the stadium, and when the teams entered the pitch, Harry craned his neck with curiosity, trying to catch a glimpse of Ginny as soon as possible.

She had cropped her hair short. One side of her head was shaved, and the rest was swept across her head in a wave, with streaks of deep reddish-brown and bright blonde that created the impression of flames.

It suited her, in a way that made Harry's heart skip in his chest in spite of their amicable break-up.

“She looks fantastic!” he said to Luna, shouting over the crowd's applause.

“Wait and see!” Luna said back.

Harry didn't know what she meant until a couple of minutes later, as Ginny scored the second goal of the match. As the crowd leapt to their feet cheering, and the opposing team's Keeper dived for the Quaffle, Ginny circled around in a victory lap and -

“Wow!”

With a single touch of her wand, Ginny's hair burst into flames, which trailed behind her for several seconds as she flew. There were audible gasps from the crowd.

“First goal of the match, scored by 'Firecracker' Weasley,” the commentator announced. “She sure likes to keep us on our toes!”

The Harpies supporters began cheering again, louder than ever. After a few seconds more, the flames settled back onto Ginny's head and became hair again, and play continued on.

“She invented that?” Harry asked Luna as they sat back down.

“Muggle chemicals have some interesting magical properties,” Luna commented. “It's a very promising field of study.”

Harry nodded, turning back to the match for a few seconds. But in spite of Ginny's spectacular flying, he was suddenly finding it hard to concentrate.

“So, uh...”

He turned back to Luna.

“Do you think you could do purple?”


End file.
